Music as medicine: new study tests whether tunes can ease pain during abortion
NCT ID NCT04708808
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether listening to music during a first-trimester abortion procedure can help reduce pain and anxiety. 176 women will be randomly assigned to either receive routine care plus music through headphones, or routine care alone. Researchers will measure pain and anxiety levels before, during, and after the procedure using standard questionnaires and a stress biomarker in saliva.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- music therapy
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, drug-free way to ease pain and anxiety during a common medical procedure.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial. Music may not significantly reduce pain or anxiety, and results may not apply to other settings or procedures.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 176 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2021
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Women 18 years old or above * hospitalized for termination of first trimester pregnancy under local anaesthesia Exclusion Criteria: * being a minor or adult protected by law * not feasible for MVA procedure * Partial or total hearing impairment * on anxiolytics and analgesics before arriving at the hospital * refusal to participate
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Chinese University of Hong Kong
RECRUITINGHong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
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